READING HIEROGLYPHS: SPIRITS IN CONTEXT

Course Co-Directors: Dr José-Ramón Pérez-Accino (Complutense University of Madrid) and Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)

This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

As ever, we have set aside a course for those of you who love to discover pharaonic Egypt by reading the ancient texts. In response to feedback in previous years, we are delighted to offer a brand-new course exploring the layout and decoration of specific tombs in order to understand the place of tomb biographies within them. In particular, we will look at the tomb inscriptions of Metjen – perhaps the earliest account of a human life in history – and Puyemra, a priest at Karnak during the reign of Thutmose III (18th Dynasty).

NB: In response to ever-increasing demand for our Reading Hieroglyphs courses, Spirits in Context will be run in two parallel groups to allow for smaller class-sizes and increased enrolment – but the content will be the same for each group. Our Reading Hieroglyphs courses assume you already have good knowledge of reading hieroglyphic Middle Egyptian. Normally, we would expect you to have taken both of the BSS courses Beginning Hieroglyphs and Hieroglyphs: The next step (second stage) beforehand. As a rule of thumb, before you come along you should be comfortable reading all of the texts in How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs (see Recommended Reading). Do not worry about the intensity of this course: during the week, there will be plenty of time for your own work and for questions and answers with your tutors.

CLEOPATRA'S HIEROGLYPHS: READING HIEROGLYPHIC TEXTS FROM THE PTOLEMAIC AND ROMAN PERIODS

Course Director: Dr Luigi Prada (University of Uppsala)

This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

This course offers you the unique opportunity to delve into Graeco-Roman hieroglyphic texts – a fascinating subject rarely offered, even at the university level. You will gain access to a rich corpus of texts dating from the time of the Ptolemies and the Roman Emperors, learning gradually to read from a wide selection of original material. From inscriptions on temples and tombs to obelisks and stelae, Luigi will guide you in reading texts spanning the entire Graeco-Roman Period, including those contemporary with Alexander the Great, Cleopatra and Julius Caesar, and the Emperor Hadrian, amongst others. This class also includes sessions taught on high-resolution images of written artefacts from the British Museum and the UCL Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, offering students a chance to read directly from the originals and thus best appreciate their epigraphic subtleties.

NB: This class is not intended for beginners in the study of the ancient Egyptian writing system and language. Participants will be expected to have a knowledge – at least one year’s study – of hieroglyphic Middle Egyptian. Should you be uncertain as to your knowledge level, please feel free to contact BSS.

THE OBELISKS OF THE CAESARS: A READING CLASS OF ROMAN HIEROGLYPHS

Course Director: Dr Luigi Prada (Uppsala University)

This is a 2-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

Last year, BSS offered its first online course on Graeco-Roman hieroglyphic texts. Following its success, this weekend course will offer participants the opportunity to continue exploring a selection of fascinating texts from the period. Namely, we will read in extenso the inscriptions of a group of obelisks erected by order of a number of Roman emperors, which contain some of the latest and arguably most original hieroglyphic inscriptions from Egyptian antiquity, dating to the first and second centuries CE. The inscriptions will be analysed in detail in terms of their grammar, palaeography, as well as their content, placing them into the historical context of the interaction between ancient Egypt and imperial Rome.

NB: This class is not intended for beginners. Participants will be expected to have a knowledge of hieroglyphic Middle Egyptian to the level of the BSS "Reading Hieroglyphs” course, though they are not necessarily expected to have attended last year’s “Cleopatra’s Hieroglyphs” course.

UNLOCKING LATE EGYPTIAN: AN INTRODUCTORY CLASS TO THE LANGUAGE OF NEW KINGDOM EGYPT

Course Director: Dr Luigi Prada (Uppsala University)

This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

When we approach the study of the ancient Egyptian language normally begin by tackling Middle Egyptian. This language phase and its literary production were regarded by the ancient Egyptians themselves as embodying the classical period of their cultural production, and as such have always figured prominently in modern Egyptological training, too. However, there is much more to ancient Egypt’s written records and literary production, which is expressed in a later phase of the language – Late Egyptian. Closer to what was the spoken language of the time, Late Egyptian was first embraced as a written language in the Amarna Period, and later on, during the Ramessid Period, it gained an increasingly high status, replacing Middle Egyptian (or coexisting with it) in several literary genres.

This course will provide you with the unique opportunity to read directly the literary masterworks and daily-life documents from the New Kingdom (and later periods). All texts will be read in hieroglyphic transcription. The first day will be spent on an overview of Late Egyptian grammar, focusing on its main features and differences from Middle Egyptian. The rest of the week will see us read a selection of original texts – some in full, some as long excerpts – to give the participants a comprehensive experience of the treasures of Late Egyptian textual production. These will include several narrative compositions (e.g. Horus and Seth and the Report of Wenamun), samples of love poetry, religious compositions, and daily-life documents such as private letters.

This class includes sessions taught on high-resolution images of written artefacts from the British Museum and UCL’s Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, offering students a chance to read Late Egyptian – remotely – from original manuscripts. Please note: this class is not intended for complete beginners in the study of the ancient Egyptian language. Participants will be expected to have a good knowledge of Middle Egyptian, so as to enable the language instruction in Late Egyptian to be given by comparison and contrast with the grammar of Middle Egyptian, and not from scratch. Should you be uncertain as to your knowledge level of Middle Egyptian, please feel free to contact the Course Director to discuss your case (luigi.prada[at]orinst.ox.ac.uk).

HIERATIC: AN INTRODUCTION TO ANCIENT EGYPT'S CURSIVE SCRIPT

Course Director: Dr Luigi Prada (Uppsala University)

This is a 5-day course that was held both in person and online via Zoom, and is now available via video.

As surprising as it may seem to us, the scribes of ancient Egypt first learned to write and read their language not in the hieroglyphic script, but in its cursive kindred: hieratic. Knowledge of hieroglyphs would come only at a more advanced stage. However, for the modern student the opposite is true; all of us typically start learning ancient Egyptian through the hieroglyphic script.

This course thus provides you with the unique opportunity to read ancient Egypt's literary masterworks and daily-life documents in their original hieratic version, written on papyri, ostraca, and other materials. Following an introduction to hieratic and its essential elements, a selection of texts will be read in class, offering you an overview of the diachronic evolution of the hieratic script from early Pharaonic to Graeco-Roman times. This course includes sessions taught with original artefacts at the British Museum and the UCL Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology.

NB: Participants will be expected to have knowledge of hieroglyphic Middle Egyptian to the level of the BSS 'Reading Hieroglyphs' course. Should you be uncertain as to your knowledge level, contact the Course Director by email to discuss your case.

A TASTE OF DEMOTIC

Course Director: Dr Franziska Naether (University of Leipzig)

This is a 1-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

Come delve into the Demotic script! This 1-day course offers a brief introduction to this cursive form of Egyptian writing, starting with the Rosetta Stone. For roughly 1200 years (between the 7th century BCE and 5th century CE), Demotic was used to write a late phase of the Egyptian language often referred to as “the language of Cleopatra”. Although the script is challenging to read, Franziska will take you through step by step. Your efforts will be rewarded with glimpses into daily life, from temple documents and shopping lists to literary and magical texts. You will become familiar with the alphabetic signs, basic grammar, and syntax, and soon be reading simple but important words. The day will conclude with a reading of Demotic on Egyptian papyri.

Note: A TASTE OF DEMOTIC assumes you have no prior experience in the subject. However, the script is challenging and you will glean more from the class if you have a basic familiarity with Egyptian hieroglyphs. We recommend our 'Taste Of Hieroglyphs' course (running on 25 March). Should you have any questions about your knowledge level, contact the Course Director by email (naether@uni-leipzig.de) to discuss your case.

COPTIC: A COURSE FOR BEGINNERS

Course Director: Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)

This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

We are delighted to bring our unique introduction to Coptic back in a springtime slot after the pandemic frustrated our first attempt last year. Coptic was the language of the early Christians of Egypt, and the final phase of the ancient language of the pharaohs. Our specially written course offers you both the knowledge and the practice required to begin reading important groups of ancient texts, highlighting the wisdom of the fourth-century desert fathers, and the lives of monks and wealthy villagers at Thebes in the aftermath of the Arab invasion.

NB: This is an introduction to the Coptic language and Coptic texts, and does not presuppose knowledge of Coptic or any other language. You will be invited to study various features of the language and apply them from day one to reading ancient Coptic texts, using notes specially written for BSS. Do not worry about the intensity: there will be plenty of time for supervised reading practice and for questions and answers with your tutor.

READING COPTIC: APOCRYPHA AND APOCRYPHAL

Course Director: Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)

This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

Our brand new course for old friends and newcomers alike is designed to build on your skills in reading Sahidic Coptic and so enhance your understanding and appreciation of Egyptian culture. As ever, you will be invited to study different aspects of the language and apply them in reading, using notes specially written for BSS. This time we will concentrate on two collections of less familiar texts linked to The Bible but with strong connections also to Egypt: the Apocrypha, and the apocryphal gospels, including an impressive 7th century edition of The Sayings of Jesus Ben Sirach in The British Library and a slightly later edition of The Life of Joseph the Carpenter from the celebrated library of Shenoute’s White Monastery.

Please note: You need not have taken the introductory course COPTIC: A COURSE FOR BEGINNERS at BSS, but READING COPTIC assumes you do have some experience in reading Coptic texts—as a rule of thumb you should be comfortable reading a short narrative including the past tense and circumstantial forms. However, do not worry about the intensity: there will be plenty of time for supervised practice and for questions and answers with your tutor. If you have taken READING COPTIC with us previously, you will find all-new content in this latest course.

READING COPTIC: EXEMPLARY LIVES

Course Director: Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)

This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

Our brand-new course for old friends and newcomers is designed to build on your skills in reading Coptic and develop your appreciation of Egyptian culture. This time we will concentrate on the biographies of exemplary figures in the Coptic tradition, including the monastic rule-giver Pachomius, and Archellites, a Roman noble whose romantic lifestory was set down in Coptic in the seventh century. You will be invited to study different aspects of the language and apply them in reading the ancient texts using notes specially written for BSS.

READING COPTIC: ON THE MARGINS OF COPTIC CULTURE

Course Director: Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)

This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

Once again Bill Manley will be here with a course for old friends and newcomers, designed to build on your elementary skills in reading Coptic. This brand new course concentrates on exemplary groups of Coptic texts from the 4th century to the decades following the Arab invasion, including letters, narratives, biographies, legal papers, sermons and spells. You will be invited to study different points of grammar and apply them from day one in reading ancient texts, using notes specially written for BSS.

Note: You need not have taken the course Coptic: A Course for Beginners at BSS, but Reading Coptic assumes you do have some experience in reading Sahidic Coptic texts (as a rule of thumb you should be able to read a short narrative including the Past Tense and Circumstantial forms.) However, do not worry about the intensity: there will be plenty of time for supervised practice and for questions and answers with your tutor. On the other hand, if you have taken Reading Coptic with us previously, you will find all-new content in this latest course.

READING COPTIC: WORDS OF WORLDLY WISDOM

Course Director: Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)

This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

Our brand-new course for old friends and newcomers alike is designed to build on your skills in reading Coptic and develop your appreciation of Egyptian culture. As ever, you will be invited to study different aspects of the language and apply them in reading ancient texts using notes specially written for BSS. This time we will concentrate on two collections of texts which may seem like old friends themselves. The sermons of Apa Shenoute and the sayings of the Desert Fathers, written down at the end of Roman rule, are part of the foundations for understanding the history and culture of the early Copts as well as appreciating the standard Sahidic form of their language.

NB: You need not have taken the introductory course 'Coptic: A course for beginners' at BSS, but 'Reading Coptic' assumes you do have some experience in reading Coptic texts. As a rule of thumb, you should be able to read a short narrative including the past tense and circumstantial forms. However, do not worry about the intensity: there will be plenty of time for supervised practice and for questions and answers with your tutor.

If you have taken 'Reading Coptic' with us previously, you will find all-new content in this latest course.

20,000 YEARS OF AGRICULTURAL AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN NORTH AFRICA AND THE LEVANT

Course Director: Dr Claire Malleson (American University of Beirut)

This is a 5-day course that was held both in person and online via Zoom, and is now available via video.

This course will explore the most important aspect of life for the survival of the human species – farming, and its relationship to the environment and climate change. Starting with current ideas about ‘hunter gatherer' lifestyles in northeast Africa and western Asia, we will then examine evidence for the process of the gradual shift to formal farming lifestyles across the region.

The course will also cover specific case studies for the Bronze Age agricultural systems that supported the rise of the 'Great Civilisations' in Egypt and the Levant. You will gain unique insight into this topic through discussions and activities based on traditional sources (art, architecture, and texts), as well as the natural sciences (botany, zoology, climatology, and geology).

AN A–Z OF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN STATUES

Course Director: Dr Campbell Price (University of Manchester)

This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

In response to all the positive feedback following Dr Campbell Price’s well-attended course Ancient Egypt in 100 People for us last year, we are staging this new course by popular demand. Campbell will now take us into the rich and fascinating world of ancient Egyptian statuary – one of the most ubiquitous products of ancient Egyptian material culture. Lectures will examine the materials, quarrying techniques, transport, installation, activation, use, reuse, and later reception of this type of Egyptian sculpture. The course will also interrogate forms and contexts for sculpture over time, provide translation and analysis of the rich body of statue inscriptions (some previously untranslated into English), and offer a practical guide to recognising the dating and meanings of a range of statue types.

DEATH AND DIVINITY IN GRAECO-ROMAN EGYPT

Course Director: Dr Campbell Price (University of Manchester)

This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

Often overlooked in popular Egyptology studies, the Graeco-Roman Period (c.300 BCE – 300 CE) offers rich insight into the diversity of funerary practices among the elite in Egypt. Ancient motifs are reinterpreted and combined with innovative forms in order to transform the body into something everlasting and divine. For the wealthiest, this was achieved with the lustre of gold. On this course, you will overview religious conceptions behind responses to death, focussing on the collections of Manchester Museum, with lectures drawing on readings from the new book: Golden Mummies of Egypt: Interpreting identities from the Graeco-Roman Period.

EGYPT REINVENTED: DISCOVERING GRAECO-ROMAN EGYPT

Course Director: Dr Luigi Prada (Uppsala University)

This is a 4-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

It is often through the rich heritage of the Graeco–Roman Period that many of us become captivated by Egypt’s ancient civilisation: think of the best-preserved temples, such as those at Edfu or Philae, or great historical figures, such as Alexander the Great or Cleopatra. Yet, many of us often know relatively little about this fascinating period. This course—which is intended for both students of ancient Egypt and of the classical world—offers a full introduction to this period. Join Luigi in exploring the manifold identities and aspects of Greco-Roman Egypt, spanning its archaeology, art history, textual culture, religion, and much more. You will discover its complex reality, where century-old Egyptian traditions and ways of life were reinvented through contact with the civilisations of the Greeks and Romans.

FIFTH DYNASTY SOLAR RELIGION AND THE SUN KINGS

Course Director: Dr Massimiliano Nuzzolo (Charles University, Prague)

This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

Bringing the latest research from the field, Dr Massimiliano Nuzzolo will explore with you one of the most fundamental symbols of ancient Egyptian belief and practice – the sun. Early symbolic expression is associated with pyramid building, such as the great pyramid of Khufu at Giza. There is a specific period, however, when we see the development of a coherent vision of the sun cult, with a fully-formed system of belief in the afterlife and the introduction of new deities. The celebration of solar-related festivals becomes more common, along with the construction of unparalleled monuments for the joint cult of the Egyptian king and the sun god, especially sun temples. In this course, we will delve into this pivotal period religious innovation and coherence – namely, the Fifth Dynasty (c.2494 BCE–c.2345 BCE). We will examine textual, artistic, and architectural evidence, including material kept in both the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology and the British Museum. Dr Nuzzolo will present the latest findings from the archaeological fieldwork he has been conducting over the past 10 years at the sun temple of Niuserra at Abu Ghurab, the most intact surviving sun temple.

GODS AND GODDESSES OF ANCIENT EGYPT

Course Director: Ms Lucia Gahlin (University College London)

This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

The aim of this online course is to introduce you to the world of the ancient Egyptians through their pantheon of gods and goddesses. Join Lucia Gahlin as she opens a window on to ancient Egyptian history, culture, and society through her explanations of the iconography, attributes, and worship of each deity, and how each relates to others within a rich tapestry of mythology and religion. This exploration of ancient Egyptian belief will help shed light on the life experience of the ancient Egyptians and their view of the cosmos. Each session will focus on a different deity, and by the end of the course you will have examined a wealth of varied material – archaeological, architectural, visual, and textual – covering some 3000 years of pharaonic Egyptian history. Expect a lively course, packed with vivid images and fascinating material presented in richly illustrated lectures designed to provoke thought, questions, and discussion.

GREATER NUBIA: EXPLORING THE LAND AND ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE MIDDLE NILE VALLEY

Course Co-Directors: Dr Robert Morkot (Friends of the Petrie Museum) and Dr Iwona Kozieradzka-Ogunmakin (University of Exeter)

This is a 5-day course that was held both in person and online via Zoom, and is now available via video.

Nubia – the land stretching between the southern part of Egypt and the confluence of the White and Blue Niles in central Sudan – encompasses environmentally-diverse and culturally-rich regions. In the past and despite being a birthplace to one of the greatest African civilisations – Kerma culture and Kush – Nubia was seen by archaeologists merely as a conduit, a ‘corridor' connecting Egypt to ‘sub-Saharan' Africa.

This course will present new research that re-evaluates previous ideas concerning Nubia, its role and importance in antiquity, with the focus on the extent of its cultural connections (north-south and east-west) and changing landscapes that impacted on the animals, peoples, and cultures.

HATSHEPSUT AND SENENMUT: POWER AND PERSONALITY IN EGYPT’S 18TH DYNASTY

Course Director: Dr Campbell Price (University of Manchester)

This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

Hatshepsut's reign of two decades in the 15th century BCE was in some ways the most unconventional in pharaonic history. Her high official Senenmut played an important role in presenting her kingship, while he and her other officials commemorated themselves in both traditional and innovative ways. Join Campbell to explore his new research on the interaction of sculpture, sacred landscapes, and the historical memory of the ancient Egyptians themselves on this fascinating course. Students will be able to take an in-depth and uniquely insightful examination of the textual and artefactual evidence for monumental expression of royal and entrepreneurial power during this extraordinary period.

LOVE SPELLS, ORACLES, AMULETS: ANCIENT EGYPTIAN RITUALS OF MAGIC AND DIVINATION

Course Director: Dr Franziska Naether (University of Leipzig / Stellenbosch University)

This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

We are thrilled to introduce Franziska Naether, a newcomer to the BSS programme. In this course, she will take you on a deep dive into ancient Egyptian magic – and back again! You will explore what magic meant for the ancient Egyptians compared with our views today. Lectures will examine sources dating from c.1500 BCE to 600 CE and involving all kinds of magical spells, medical magic, amulets for protection (including a practical session), and magic for communicating with the gods (including reading from oracle books). Finally, Franziska will explore with you the influence of ancient cult practices on early modern and current spiritual life, including the work of Aleister Crowley, and Napoléon Bonaparte and his “secret” book of fate.

THE GREAT CIVILISATIONS OF THE NILE VALLEY: THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE

Course Co-Directors: Dr Iwona Kozieradzka-Ogunmakin and Dr Lidija McKnight (both University of Manchester)

This is a 3-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

After nearly two centuries of excavating and studying the archaeology of the Nile Valley, it may seem we know it all. But do we? Recent discoveries and multidisciplinary approaches to the past deliver new evidence and opportunities for fresh interpretation. Iwona and Lidija return to co-direct this short course examining the people and the land that shaped the great ancient civilisations that once flourished in Egypt and the Sudan. You will enjoy lectures on the environment, natural resources, animal life, and artefactual evidence, as well as examine how these informed and transformed past society through time. This exciting course presents a variety of approaches combined with modern methods of investigation that will challenge some of our long-held views and enrich your understanding of the ancient Nile Valley and its people.

THE LORD OF ALL: THE MULTIFACETED NATURE OF PHARAOH

Course Director: Dr José-Ramón Pérez-Accino (Complutense University of Madrid)

This is a 3-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

Like a diamond with many polished faces that sparkle in the rays of the sun, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is a multifaceted and complex figure. Over this 3-day course, you will explore, compare, and contrast the various facets that construct the Egyptian ruler. Drawing on a wide range of artistic, literary, and other archaeological sources, you will come to understand how Pharaoh’s actions encompassed all the realms of the Egyptian world. As the material embodiment of perfection, Pharaoh provided a model for the ancient Egyptians to follow, informing their lived experience in diverse ways. From divine entity and political leader to soldier, family man and more, you will become familiar with the different faces of Pharaoh – ’The Lord of All’.

THE ROYAL TOMBS OF ANCIENT EGYPT

Course Director: Prof. Aidan Dodson (University of Bristol)

This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

We are thrilled to welcome back Prof. Aidan Dodson with an exciting course on the royal tombs of ancient Egypt. These include some of the most stupendous monuments of all time, containing some of the greatest treasures to survive from the ancient world. During this week, you will explore the history and archaeology of the funerary complexes of Egypt’s kings, queens, and the wider royal family, from the very dawn of history down to, and beyond, the country’s absorption into the Roman Empire, three millennia later. We will also make some short detours into the royal tombs of other nations, to compare and contrast the ways in which human beings have dealt with the posthumous destinies of their rulers.

TUTANKHAMUN: HIS LIFE AND AFTERLIVES

Course Director: Prof. Aidan Dodson (University of Bristol)

This is a 5-day course that was held both in person and online via Zoom, and is now available via video.

Despite its short duration, Tutankhamun's life witnessed key parts of one of the most momentous events in ancient Egyptian history: the religious and artistic revolution of Akhenaten, and the onset of the counter-reformation that brought it to an end. Then, after millennia of oblivion, his existence was once again noticed at the end of the 1820s and ideas developed as to his role in history – before bursting forth onto the international scene through the discovery of his tomb in 1922. This course will explore all these aspects of his career(s).

INTRODUCTION TO OLD PERSIAN: THE LANGUAGE AND SCRIPT OF THE ACHAEMENIDS

Course Co-Directors: Prof. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones and Mr Jack Neighbour (both Cardiff University)

This is a 2-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

In 522 BCE, Darius I usurped the Persian throne and enacted a bureaucratic overhaul of his empire that was epitomised in grandiose building projects like those seen at Persepolis and Bisotun. Such extravagancies pertained to the Achaemenid wealth and power, and signified a Persian rebranding of near eastern imperial administration. An empire woven of Persian cloth would need a language to match, and so Darius employed a new monumental script – Old Persian.

Join us in exploring the historical and linguistic context of Old Persian, learning the basics of Old Persian grammar and translation with assisted reading of original Achaemenid texts and more.

This course assumes you have no prior experience in the subject.

ANCIENT PERSIA AND THE HEBREW BIBLE

Course Director: Prof. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (Cardiff University)

This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

In this exciting historical-archaeological study, we will explore ancient Persian history and culture in the context of biblical accounts, enlarging upon this connection in discussions of numerous topics surrounding Persian rulers, seats of government, cultural norms, and religion. The course offers a broad survey of the Hebrew biblical literature and recent archaeological findings in Iran, Israel, and beyond. Focus will be given to several key Biblical texts, including Isaiah, Ezra and Nehemiah, and Esther, as well as to the Jewish community of Persian Egypt. Attention will also be drawn to the way in which much of the Hebrew bible received its editing in the Persian period and how ‘Persianisms’ found their way into many of its books. This course will also include a visit to the British Museum’s new exhibition, Luxury and Power: From Persia to Greece, led by the Course Director.

MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE: HYMNS AND WORSHIP IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST
AND THE HEBREW BIBLE

Course Director: Prof. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (Cardiff University)

This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

Our term ‘hymn’ stems from the Greek ‘hymnos’, referring to songs sung in ritual contexts. Hymns are well attested in Ancient Near Eastern religious literature and are primarily characterised by their effusive praise for either a human sovereign or a deity, though hymns written in honour of even non-anthropomorphic subjects, such as cities and temples are known. As "songs to the gods", hymns were the prime vehicle through which ancient peoples eternalised and transmitted their thoughts. These could be solo expressions of faith or communal outpourings of devotion, but what links them together is the performative aspect inherent in the genre. This fascinating and lively course looks at the hymnic traditions of antiquity and explores such themes as music, dance, singing, theology, ritual, and compositions. Hymns of praise, of lamentation, of celebration, and of war will be encountered and special attention will be given to the richest surviving collection of hymns from antiquity: the Hebrew psalms.

PROPHETS AND PROPHECY IN THE HEBREW BIBLE AND THE NEAR EAST

Course Director: Prof. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (Cardiff University)

This is a 5-day course that was held both in person and online via Zoom, and is now available via video.

Prophecy was a widespread phenomenon, not only in ancient Israel but throughout the ancient Near East as a whole. This fascinating and lively course explores ancient Near Eastern and biblical notions of prophets, prophetic words, and prophetic activities. The oracles and prophets from ancient Mesopotamia, the Levant, and the Iranian world from the second and first millennia BCE will be our focus, although special attention will be given to the prophecies of Isaiah — one of the most remarkable books of the Hebrew Bible, covering a period of around 300 years and dealing with three successive empires: Assyria, Babylon, and Persia.

All texts are studied in English translation.

ANCIENT PERSIA: NEW PERSPECTIVES

Prof. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (Cardiff University)

This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.

We are thrilled to welcome back Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones to deliver a course on the Persian Empire. You will learn about the Achaemenids (559–330 BCE), one of the great dysfunctional families of history, and their story – a saga of naked ambition, betrayal, revenge, and murder. To understand the Persian Empire, we must focus on the dynasty that controlled it. This course will thus explore the Achaemenid Empire from its humble beginnings under the brilliant leadership of Cyrus the Great to its fall to Alexander of Macedon under the dashing but unlucky Darius III. You will trace the story of the world’s first superpower – an empire built, unusually for imperial ambition, on cooperation and respect for others. Bypassing the pejorative ’histories’ created by Classical authors, this course draws on genuine Persian sources. Ancient Persia: New Perspectives is the inside history of the Achaemenid dynasty and its Empire – it is the definitive Persian Version.